Near-perfect day for Team France
ahead of Paris Test Event as Beaugrand and Le Corre scoop golds at WTCS
Sunderland
It was another vintage day for French
triathlon on Saturday afternoon, this time in the north of England, as Pierre
Le Corre won his long-awaited first Series gold at the end of a thrilling
sprint finish with teammate Leo Bergere and Cassandre Beaugrand out-ran
compatriot Emma Lombardi to the women's gold.
It had been a gripping final lap of
the men's 5km run with New Zealand's Hayden Wilde also right in contention
before having to settle for the bronze, Germany's Annika Koch winning her first
Series medal with the women's bronze.
Men's report
The sun was out on the
sprint-distance Sunderland course, but the wind was whipping up across the 14C
North Sea and it was a knee-deep water start for the 59 men after the tide had
washed pebbles up the beach.
Wilde and Vilaca took to the far side
of the start, Bergere and Schomburg to the right, a 750m swim towards
Sunderland lighthouse ahead. It looked like things had strung out at the final
buoy, Bergere and Briffod staying close to Chase McQueen and Diego Moya up
front, Wilde and Vilaça 14 seconds back, Mario Mola just 20 seconds back as
they hit the beach.
Schomburg was soon pushing the bike
with Series debutant GB’s Max Stapley, Wilde heading up the chase group 20
seconds back with Le Corre and Vilaca, Manoel Messias and Mola suddenly almost
a minute off the front.
Bergere leads breakaway
At the bell, just as the chasers were
finally closing and had been seen to reel in the leaders, Bergere, Batista and
Reid broke away and suddenly had daylight behind them, ramping the gap up to 10
seconds by the time they hit T2. Batista then missed his bike rack and lost
precious time, Wilde earning four seconds back on Bergere thanks to another
fluid transition and he was soon reeling in the Frenchman and then out on his
own up front once more.
After building a useful gap over the
first kilometre, Le Corre and Bergere then quickly regrouped and worked
together to put their training plan into action, winding in Wilde and setting
up a three-way finale, Vilaca 11 seconds back with Henri Schoeman, Vetle Bergsvik
Thorn 25 seconds back and Richard Murray picking his way through the field.
Le Corre made an effort to hurt his
rivals on the final climb at the start of lap two but the elastic didnt break
then Bergere hit the front and then he and Le Corre finally dropped Wilde down
the hill to the blue carpet, Bergere ahead by a length only to see Le Corre
surge past at the tape to record a famous first win, Vilaca over in fourth,
Richard Murray in fifth.
“I didn’t have a good start to the
day, the swim was not my best,” admitted Le Corre, ‘then I had to bridge the
gap to the first group. On the bike I felt great, I thought that this was going
to be a good day for me. I train with Leo all the summer, and we have a special
‘Hayden Wilde’ training session – we have trained for this situation, so we
knew when we should attack him. We played his game and it worked. I have been
waiting five years for this (first ever WTCS victory), so I am really happy
today!”
"We practiced a few times in the
last few weeks in Font Romeu how to beat Hayden on a sprint," admitted
Bergere. "It was kind of for fun but we had the chance to practice it
today. I feel really great about Pierre as well, his first win, so happy for
him. On the bike I tried my best to do a breakaway, but a lot of guys were just
sitting, so it was frustrating. But I took the race for my own and did the race
for myself."
"The last couple of weeks I have
been training really well, but I had a bit of a runny nose in the last few days
so the recovery was just not there as it should," said Wilde. "Maybe
I pushed a bit too hard after Hamburg. But kudos to the French boys, they raced
really well today. We played a lot cat and mouse on the run, I did all I could
and I am happy to take the third."
Women's report
Even after the exertions of a huge
WTCS Hamburg win just a fortnight ago and having a late bike replacement after
Friday’s course familiarisations, Cassandre Beaugrand of France rose to the
occasion once more on Saturday afternoon to take gold at the first WTCS Sunderland
and send out a huge signal to her Olympic rivals ahead of next month’s Test
Event.
Leading out of the water and then
working well as part of a seven-deep group for much of the 21km bike, she was
one of 28 athletes pouring into transition together as the packs merged, then
clicked into her familiar stride and a pace that only Emma Lombardi could
match. The former U23 world champion wasn’t able to hang on for long, however,
and Beaugrand soared home to take the tape and the gold, Lombardi silver,
Germany’s Annika Koch going one better than her previous career best of fourth
in Hamburg by sealing an excellent bronze.
Feuersinger flying early on
Switzerland’s Therese Feuersinger put
together a brilliant 750m in the water, shrugging off the cold temperatures to
lead Beaugrand and Vittoria Lopes at the end of the swim, Germany’s Lena
Meissner and GB’s Olivia Mathias right there, Gwen Jorgensen only 25 seconds
back with Lotte Miller and Julie Derron.
Beaugrand and Feursinger then got
away together for the first bike lap but had under 10 seconds to the chasers
including Lombardi and Koch and soon they’d caught on form a nimble group of
seven out front and going well together. Miller and Meissner were spearheading
the chase group 19 seconds back at the halfway point of the 21km bike, but at
the bell they’d come together and it was Olivia Mathias leading a big train of
athletes past the packed grandstand. Lotte Miller pulled out with a back niggle
to preserve herself for the following day’s mixed relay, and suddenly it was
Lombardi with daylight out of transition, Rachel Klamer in close pursuit with
Swiss pair Cathia Schar and Julie Derron, Leonie Periault giving chase and
Beaugrand five seconds back.
French pair lead the wayIt took no
time for the Hamburg champion to be back out in the lead with Lombardi sticking
to her shoulder and Annika Koch working her way into a strong position in third
with daylight to a group headed by Derron, Marlene Gomez-Goggel and Nicole Van
Der Kaay, Klamer hanging on in 8th now 18 seconds back, Periault falling in a
group and losing her chance to challenge.
Then Beaugrand finally dropped
Lombardi, taking the hill solo for the last time and opening up 14 seconds on
her nearest rival to allow herself the time to savour that finish chute. Lombardi
looked thrilled with a third Series silver, Koch likewise with her best result
and first podium and followed across the line by a disappointed Periault,
Gomez-Goggel in fifth ahead of Klamer.
“Emma was pushing me until the end so
I had to dig deep,” said a thrilled Beaugrand. “This was a great day for the
French team, the goal was finishing in the podium the three of us together,
Leonie was fourth finally but we were quite close. It was a great day for me, I
have been training really well and all my training group was here to cheer for
me, my coach, my boyfriend. It was a very special day for me today!”
"I knew Cassandra was gonna be
tough, I just kept pushing as long as possible and did my best," said
Lombardi. "I'm really happy, especially because this is a sprint, not my
best format, but I am happy to be back on the podium."
"I am overwhelmed, it is
amazing," said a smiling Annika Koch. "After Hamburg I was happy, but
my first podium ever feels unbelievable. I tried to chase Emma, I had a good
view of the distance on the turning points, I tried to focus and catch her but
I am happy to take third."
For the full results click here https://triathlon.org/results/result/2023_world_triathlon_championship_series_sunderland/576187?mc_cid=b1d1874415&mc_eid=6139649918
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